PATTY HO was born in Hong Kong. She studied law in the University of Hong Kong and is now practising as a solicitor in a local law firm. She is also at present studying philosophy under the Master of Arts in Philosophy (part-time) programme in the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Apart from being a law practitioner and a philosophy student, she has always been a poetry lover and poetry still remains what she loves most. She first started to write poems in Form Six in her secondary school days and since then she has kept up her interest in reading and writing poems. Time and experiences in life have deepened her love for poetry.
Patty Ho introduces her first book, Heart to Heart, as follows: "This book is a collection of the poems which I have written mostly in the past five years. 'All beings are like scattered coins, love is the string (which binds them together).' (The original Chinese text is from the preface to "Qing Shi" by Feng Menglong.) If there is anything which links the poems in this book, it must be love. Here I mean love in a wide sense, which includes love between men and women, love between family members, love between friends, love of life and nature, love of poetry and beauty, and so forth. According to the philosopher Max Scheler, man is an ens amans, a being who loves; I hope that through this book I can share my beloved poetry with every ens amans.
Heart to Heart: Poems by Patty Ho (2010) reveals a gentle and passionate heart longing to give and receive love and seeking to understand where love goes when life ends. The key topics and moods are Love, Loneliness, Longing and Loss. A different tone is set when she seeks to view reality from the perspective of other souls.
Patty Ho has an intense interest in poetry, philosophy and music and this, her debut poetry collection, integrates treasured quotations and inspiration from famous poets, philosophers, lyricists and composers. Her poetry is stimulated by flowers, trees, stars, statues, pictures and people.
Although personal relations are central to this work, history and current affairs are also subjects.
"Heart to Heart" is stunningly illustrated with reproductions of original watercolours by the poet's sister, Annie Ho, as well as by photographs from the author and others.
